Grado Labs, of Brooklyn New York, has announced what they say is a major step forward in their affordable Prestige Series of phono cartridges. The Prestige Series 2 is the third generation of the Prestige series and a continuation of Grado’s entry level line of cartridges dating back to 1953. For sixty-four years the family has been dedicated to supporting vinyl playback with their phono cartridges at affordable prices. The Prestige Black2, Green2, Blue2, Red2, Silver2, and Gold2 continue this tradition.

The Prestige Series 2 is all hand assembled by the Grado team in Brooklyn, some builders with over 25 years of experience. With the recent development of the Lineage Series of cartridges, Grado was able to have a trickle down of technology and bring a new technique to the Prestige Series.

Jonathan Grado told us: “This updated series of cartridges offers excellent tonal balance, dynamics and realism for a most rewarding reproduction of vocals and instruments. Grado’s coil winding techniques, using ultra high purity copper wire which were honed during the development of the Lineage Series, have let the electrical circuits achieve unison between the four coils in each phono cartridge. This allows for a precise balance between channels and accurate stereo imaging. As in all Grado phono cartridges the Prestige Series is powered by a twin magnet system optimising the balance between stereo channels. All internal magnetic circuit parts are held to extremely high tolerances creating the desired stereo imaging. Grado’s patented Flux-Bridger design allows the Prestige Series to have one of the lowest effective moving mass generating systems while creating an excellent balance throughout the full frequency range. The development of the Lineage Series gave Grado an in-depth experience with using an outer housing as a damping device. This led to the creation of a process which de-stresses the chassis and dissipates unwanted energy and resonant frequencies, allowing the desired signal to travel freely”.

“Not many people realize this, but Grado Labs has been producing phono-cartridges for close to 65 years and is the inventor of the stereo moving coil cartridge. Jonathan and his brother, Matthew, the newest addition to the company, intend to keep the Grado tradition of producing the finest cartridges and headphones we can.” notes CEO & owner John Grado.

In 1953, the Grado family started building cartridges on their kitchen table. All 64 years of experience has led to the evolution of the Prestige Series of cartridges. The Prestige Series is available immediately for $75 to $260.